Dear families,
I must report that the Year 6 Camp (Murraylands) and the Year 5 Camp (Belair) were both a great success and a lot of fun. Having the three days at Murraylands and having time to enjoy all of the watersports was a much better option than the previous two day experience. The Belair camp was very much about activity, team building and problem solving. I’m very proud to say that the children were very well behaved and respectful. The caterer at Belair said to one of the teachers “I don’t have any children but if I did, I’d want to send them to your school. The children are just beautiful."

Could I take the opportunity to thank the parents who offered their time to ensure that the Year 6 Murraylands camp was a great success. These were Shakeel Patras, Carmelina Formato, Jared McGlyn, Ben Harrison and Nic Raspa.

One highlight for me on camp was the opportunity to celebrate Ash Wednesday through a liturgy that James Lloyd prepared and brought to us. It was a fascinating complement to the camp, whilst camp had been about fun, joy and companionship, Lent invites us in to reflect on our Catholic faith and to sense God’s quiet but profound presence in our world. The liturgy provided us with a quiet space and time, providing great contrast to the rest of the busy and noisy time (of course it was also very quiet when the children went to bed, ask Mr Douglass!).

3 Way Conversations
This week the 3 way Conversations got underway. I’d love to hear about your experience of these, please drop in or send an email. A reminder of what we intended to achieve.

“The 3-way conversation is an activity that gives us insight into the needs of your child and how we can best address their needs. This is not a classical interview as it is early in the year, but you will receive assessment information through the reports at the end of each semester and informal interviews that you can book with us later in the year. 

In the 3-way interview, the students will be given a chance to explain how they are feeling about school and their learning. From this they will plan goals for themselves at school before the conversation. This empowering process will be followed by a chance for you to give both your child and us feedback on how their learning has progressed and possible avenues for improvement. Finally, the teacher will share any observations they have made from the first few weeks of school and settle on some goals which we can work on throughout the year. This will set us up for success and makes sure we are all “on the same page” when it comes to your child’s learning. “

Way2Go
As you are aware last year we commenced our work with Way2Go a SA Government program that aims to increase the opportunities for children and families to walk or ride to school when this is possible. Our program continues on Friday week with a Walk to School opportunity (please see in flyer and form distributed yesterday for details.) Those who join the walk will be given a beautiful fresh Adelaide Hills apple, thanks to the donation of the Rawnsley family. We would happily accept and distribute any other donations of fresh foods or drinks. We hope to see you, or your children on the walk, starting near the Windsor Grove Caravan Park.

Reception 2020
We have been disappointing many prospective parents by saying that our three Term 1 Reception classes are ’full’ for 2020. Last week I reviewed our numbers and have decided to start a fourth Reception class to the delight of these parents. Thus we still do have a few vacancies and we would be looking at 4 classes of about 22 children in each. This is a great statement about our school, our children and you, our ambassadors who speak to others and give generous praise for the many wonderful qualities of St Pius X.

Finally .... how has the Term started for you and your children? Now that you’ve met your teacher in the 3-Way interview, if you have any ongoing concerns, please book in a chat with Des, James or myself.

This coming Sunday, we enter the second week of Lent. The Gospel passage we will hear at Mass tells the story of Jesus taking three of his friends up on a mountain to pray. His friends saw Jesus as the Messiah. God spoke to them and told them that Jesus was His Son, the Chosen One. The disciples were afraid and didn’t tell anyone what they had seen. Sometimes, when our faith is tested, we are like Jesus’ friends on the mountain. It’s not always easy to share our faith in social circles and we become scared at what people’s reactions might be.

Project Compassion calls us to reach out to others less fortunate and be the hands, hearts, eyes and voices of God in our world as we do good works. Our actions speak louder than our words, and through us, God is made real to those who are suffering.

Caritas Australia, through Project Compassion, calls us to act for justice. This week, we hear the story of Tati from Indonesia. This is her story.

Tati is a Dayak woman, living in a remote forest of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with her husband and two of her three children.  Her two youngest children go to school nearby while her 19 year old son lives in a rented room close his school 60 kilometres away. The family pays for his living-away-from-home expenses, in addition to providing for school expenses. 

Tati’s Dayak culture is deeply linked to the rainforest and her family has relied on it for sustenance for generations. Over the last few years, communities which depend on the native forests have seen them shrink, along with vital habitats for endangered orangutans, rhinos and tigers.

Caritas Australia, with its partners Caritas Indonesia – KARINA and the Diocesan Caritas are working with local communities to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods, by training them in ecotourism activities.

Before Tati joined the Caritas program, she and her husband mainly earned their income from rubber tapping and raising chickens. Now, Tati has increased her family income ten times over by cooking for tourists and making souvenirs. Her community is also developing a strong financial base so that it can manage its own land. 

Around 600 people have directly benefitted from the program so far – with hopes it can be expanded to other districts. 

“I hope to continue living with fresh air, clear water, protected forest, and to be able to pay for my children’s education and that my grandchildren can still enjoy the forest.”

I encourage you to access stories like Tati’s and other information at www.lent.caritas.org.au. 

Have a blessed week.

Grandparents and Special Visitors Day is tomorrow!   The Reception to Year 2 students would like to share their brainfood with their Grandparent or Special Visitor.  Mum and Dad could you please send your child with some extra fruit so that your child's guest can join in with our healthy morning snack. Also please continue to send in your photos of grandparents or special visitors who are unable to attend tomorrow so that we can remember them in our Liturgy which will be held at 9.00am.  Please note that these photos will NOT be returned.  The format for tomorrow morning is as follows -
9.00 Liturgy in the Hall
9.30 Special visitors to visit classrooms (R-6)
10.00 Sharing brainfood with our visitors (R-2)

We are looking forward to seeing you all.

Do you have a child who will turn five years of age between 1st November this year and 31st October next year and you would like them to attend our School?  If so, please collect, complete and return an Application for Enrolment Form (available from the School Office) and return to Susan Trimboli as soon as possible.  Interviews for Reception students 2021 will offered during August this year.